Boulder man to serve prison after taking plea deal in assault case
Aug. 10—A Boulder man accused of beating and choking a woman last year has taken a plea deal in his case and will serve prison time.
John Conrad Richter, 21, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Boulder District Court to two counts of second-degree assault, second-degree burglary and third-degree assault.
Attorneys have agreed Richter will serve six years in prison on the felony assault and burglary counts, with a one year jail sentence for the misdemeanor third-degree assault count that will run concurrent to the prison sentence.
Prosecutors dropped the remaining charges, the most serious of which was one count of first-degree assault.
While the sentence is stipulated, Richter will still undergo a presentence investigation and is set for a formal sentencing hearing on Oct. 15. He will remain out of custody on bond during that time.
"Based on the actions of this defendant and the input from the victim, a felony conviction and sentence to state prison is the right outcome," the Boulder County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "Our office will provide an additional statement after the sentence is imposed by the court."
Richter initially pleaded not guilty in the case and was set for trial in October, but those trial dates were canceled as a result of the plea deal.
According to an arrest affidavit, Richter's father called police on Feb. 16, 2020, and said Richter had assaulted a woman the previous night.
Police went to the woman's apartment in the 900 block of Euclid Avenue and found her with visible injuries to her neck and face, and transported her to the hospital for treatment.
The woman told police she and Richter had gotten into an argument on Feb. 15 about her going out with friends and that he threatened her with a knife. Police responded when neighbors reported loud arguing, but the woman and Richter told the responding officers they were just arguing.
The next day, the woman said she and Richter went to a party and Richter became drunk and angry.
The woman said when they got home from the party, Richter began punching holes in the walls and knocking things down. She told Richter to leave, and then locked the door when he did.
But the woman told police Richter came back and broke his way into the apartment before punching her in the face and then choking her to the point of unconsciousness.
When the woman woke up, she told police she tried to run from the apartment. According to the affidavit, police were able to obtain video footage that shows the woman running from the apartment in only a T-shirt and her underwear before Richter follows her and hits her with a broom to force her back inside.
The woman said Richter then cut her on her thighs with a knife before cutting himself.
Richter had taken the woman's phone during the fight, and when she got it back she called Richter's father about the incident.
Police at the scene noted several holes in the walls, broken glass in trash cans and damage to the front door and door frame.
